Karzai sworn in as leader, vows to fight graft

Clinton said Washington would support the new government but expected serious results in building an "accountable, transparent government."

Karzai said corruption was a "a very dangerous issue" and pledged to appoint competent and professional ministers.

A decision by U.S. President Barack Obama on whether to send up to 40,000 troops to combat a resurgent Taliban partly depends on whether Karzai can be trusted to press ahead with reforms. Obama said on Wednesday he sought to bring the conflict to an end before he leaves office.

A U.N.-backed probe found that nearly a third of votes for Karzai in the August 20 election were fake.

While Karzai had been expected to win anyway, the extent of the fraud in his favour severely damaged his credibility at home and among Western and other nations with troops fighting to support his government.

He has since faced tough pressure from Western leaders to clamp down on widespread corruption and replace former guerrilla leaders and cronies with able technocrats in his new government.

STREETS DESERTED

Karzai had been set to take on former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah in a November 7 run-off before his opponent withdrew, citing more fraud fears. Despite pressure from the West for a power-sharing deal, Abdullah has ruled out joining Karzai.

"I have no intention of taking part in Karzai's government," Abdullah told Afghanistan's Tolo television on Thursday.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, the most prominent foreign leader at the ceremony, watched Karzai's inauguration with foreign ministers from Britain, France and Turkey.